Dear List Readers, Because of the down time for several of Rootsweb lists, I thought I would again send this edited letter in hopes that someone will recognize these BONNERS and have further information on them. ======================== Encouraged by the finding of the Saathoffs (the Remmers are still a mystery) on the sailing ship Hansa, I decided to try for the BONNERs again. If you recall, all we knew was that Fred W. BONNER was born in Ohio and the date was a moving one - from 1852 to 1856. Emmy had written in one of my books that F.W.'s dad's name was Mark BONNER and his mother was Ann PRESS and that they came to this country in the late 1840's with one son and another boy. I am presuming that the second boy was a nephew of either Mark or Ann. I couldn't find them on the 1850 census, so I a presuming that the arrival date is probably after 1850. To make this long story short, I finally found them!!!!! On the 1860 census for the city of Newark, Licking Co., Ohio is listed: Lester BONER age 40, born in England; Mrs. Ann BONER, age 46, born in England; Stephen BONER, age 14, born in England; Frank BONER, age 14, born in England; and Fredrick BONER, age 6, born in Ohio. Lester BONER's occupation is that of Lime Burner. Next I went to the 1870 census to see if I could find them again. It took awhile, but find them I did - living in Sumner, Webster Co., Iowa! This time it is Lester BOUNER, age 52, born in England; Ann BOURNER, age 57, born in England, and Fred, age 16, born in Ohio. Notice that Lester gained an extra 2 years in the ten years between censuses, and Ann gained one; Fred, however, only gained the 10 years he should have. This time Lester's occupation is listed as miller, something that my dad was pretty sure would be the case. But Stephen and Frank aren't with them or anywhere nearby. Does anyone on the list know what happened to Stephen and Frank BONER? Though they aren't my direct line, I would like to know about them and their families. Did they remain in Ohio? I couldn't find them. Did they fight and die in the Civil War? I couldn't find them listed there either - though I will need to go to NARA to search the list myself. Given the number of ways I have found the BONNER named spelled - Boner, Bouner, Bowner, etc. - I could be missing them on census indexes. Step 3 - the 1880 census. This took longer because I could no longer find Lester or Ann, but I did find Fred BONNER as a boarder in a home in Quincy, Adams Co., IL. He is working as a miller. His place of birth is listed as England. This time he has lost 4 years in the ten year span and is listed as 22 years old. I am presuming that his landlady or landlord gave the census taker the information which would account for the errors. There is no 1890 census, but in the 1900 census in the city of Quincy, Adams Co., IL, I found F.W. BOWNER, age 43, b. Sep 1856 in Ohio; Ida BOWNER, age 35, b. Sep 1864 in Missouri; and Elmer, age 8, b. May 1892 in Missouri. Along with the three BOWNERS is Sadie STEGEMEIR, age 13, b. Oct 1886 in Illinois. Sadie is listed as a domestic. F.W. BOWNER's occupation is Brewer and a traveling salesman. This again agrees with what dad remembers being told as a kid. In 1910, in Quincy, Adams Co., is Fredrick W. BONNER, 54 years old, b. in Ohio with wife Mary E. age 34, b. in IL [wife Ida died in 1901]; son Elmer J., age 17, b. IL; and sister-in-law Gertrude ORR, age 29, b. in IL. F.W.'s occupation is Manager of a Beer Depot; Elmer is an apprentice pharmisist, and Gertrude ORR is an accountant for a wholesale drug company. I also found Elmer J. BONNER listed as a boarder enumerated with Amelia MINER, a housewife living on E. 5th Street in Los Angeles. BONNER was counted twice as he had signed up to live with several other students in Los Angeles while he attended USC even though he was still living with his Dad and stepmother in IL. Thought you would like to know where F.W. BONNER was born and when. A big puzzle has been solved - something that I have worked to find (on and off) for 10 years now. Pretty nifty, huh? =================== Thank you for reading through this letter again. If anyone has any information or advise, I would be extremely grateful. Judy Bonner Martin